The Raiders lost against the 49ers 26-21 despite having more time of possession and more total yards, with turnovers and dropped passes proving costly:
- Daunte Culpepper now looks like the clear favorite to start the season opener against the Lions, he looks great on the move, makes good reads and throws crisp, accurate passes. He showed good chemistry with TE John Madsen, connecting on a 44-yard pass and a 5-yard TD pass moments later, he also threw a TD pass to FB Zack Crockett.
The main problem at this point in time is the fumbled snaps, as in the last game he fumbled the very first snap and fumbled another later in the game. It is very well known that Culpepper has small hands and this could be part of the problem, but also throughout training camp he has played with 3 different centers and the Raiders still don't know who their starting center will be, given time to work under one center these mistakes should happen much less often.
- Andrew Walter had plenty of time to throw but still showed he is prone to mistakes, he was throwing into the wind for the most part but fumbled a snap from the shotgun position right through his hands and made a bad read to throw an interception. He did recover well and made a nice drive down the field which ended in a TD run by Jordan, but it's this inconsistency that frustrates Raider fans and may lose him the starting QB spot.
- Josh McCown may be the odd man out at QB once JaMarcus Russell signs, the team is expected to only take 3 QB's on their final 53-man roster and Russell's place is guaranteed once he signs his contract.
- LaMont Jordan finally looked like the RB the Raiders hoped he would be when they signed him to a lucrative contract as a free agent 2 years ago, he ran for 67-yards on 8 carries which included a 32-yarder and a 3-yard TD run. If he can shake of his recent struggles with injuries he's a lock to start against the Lions, due to Dominic Rhodes 4-game suspension.
- Dropped passes proved costly, in the first quarter Travis Taylor was wide open and let the ball bounce off his hands for what would of been a big gain and a first down, instead the drive ended with a punt and a FG for the 49ers. The mostly costly drop was by Alvis Whitted in the end zone with seconds to go, if Whitted had caught the pass thrown by McCown the Raiders would have won the game.
These mistakes cannot happen in the regular season as they cost games, however it's only pre-season and when the big games come around expect Lane Kiffin to call plays to his money receivers such as WR Ronald Curry and TE Zach Miller.
- Speaking of Zach Miller, the TE position which was a huge weakness last season with numerous dropped passes, blown routes and bad pass blocking now appears to be a strength. Miller is a solid blocker and has caught everything thrown his way in training camp, Madsen is entering his second season at the position after bulking up in the off-season and has top-end speed for a TE and soft hands. Tony Stewart is a good 3rd choice TE, expect to see a lot of 2-TE sets this season.
- The FB position may not be a forgone conclusion yet, when the Raiders signed Justin Griffith in the off-season it was presumed he would start and Zack Crockett would likely be cut, however when the Raiders released their first depth chart before pre-season, Griffith and Crockett were both listed as the starter for the FB position.
Add in Kiffins glowing reference to rookie Oren O'Neal, "Yes, he has really been a star of the camp and he brings an unbelievable attitude to the game; the way he plays, how physical he plays." and you have a position battle that is far from settled. Crockett has started both pre-season games so far and this makes him the slight favorite to make the roster at this point in time.
- Derrick Burgess is a dominant force, he is so quick and strong and has a fantastic ability to get to the QB. Expect him to be rested for the majority of pre-season but when he sees the field in the regular season he will make the entire defense a lot better.
Thanks for reading, please leave comments and I'll try to answer any questions in a separate blog later in the week.
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6 comments:
how can i neg-rep your blog?
j/k - good job! :-)
Great blog! A good read and some excellent observations. Keep up the good work!
Hey, where's my chair? LOL
~Ally
Further proof the UK knows what real football is - Cheers Arias!
Hopefully the title of your next one will be Alvis has Left the Building. Whitted has been on The Davis Track'n'Field Scholarship for faaaar too long...
With Curry, Porter, BWM, Higgins, and Taylor on board, Whitted may not even be the sixth best WR on this team, much less a starter. See ya!
Sounds pom-pas and arrogant but I guess that's how you "Hick" Britt's roll...
But really nice job, ya need some sponsors so you can make some $$..... I'm guessing you know who wrote this reply....LOL
Alvis who??? Never heard of the guy. Oh, you mean that WR that Art Shell pulled from out of nowhere last year, and named him the starter? Yeh, I've seen him a couple times. He sure is fast!!
But I don't blame Whitted's dropped pass for losing the game. We had way too many penalties, way too many turnovers, and way too many mistakes...poor Lane Kiffin probably won't sleep till sometime next week.
That being said, we all can see what happens when you change personell. A simple QB change causes a seismic shift that affects the entire team. I like Walter, and I especially like him as a 2nd/3rd team QB. As you stated, its Culpepper's job to lose. I just hope McCown gets some good reps in so we could possibly trade him for a 4th round pick (wouldn't that be just like Al?).
Special Teams? How were we? Defense, how were we? We seemed to struggle against the run early. Field position didn't help our defense either.
On to week 3.
Fianly got around to reading.... long work week... Lookin good
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